Optimized multi-beam antenna array network with an extended radio frequency range

ABSTRACT

A system, in a radio frequency (RF) transmitter device, dynamically selects one or more reflector devices along a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio path based on a defined criteria. Further, the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices are controlled based on one or more conditions. In an RF receiver device, communicates with the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices comprising an active reflector device. The active reflector device comprises at least a first antenna array and a second antenna array. The first antenna array transmits a first set of beams of RF signals to at least the RF transmitter device and the RF receiver device. The second antenna array receives a second set of beams of RF signals from at least the RF transmitter device and the RF receiver device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This Patent Application makes reference to, claims priority to, claimsthe benefit of, and is a Continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/675,290, filed on Nov. 6, 2019, which is aContinuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/382,386,filed on Apr. 12, 2019, which is a Continuation Application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/834,894, filed on Dec. 7, 2017.

This Application also makes reference to:

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/607,743, filed May 30, 2017;

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/835,971, filed Dec. 8, 2017; and

U.S. application Ser. No. 15/836,198, filed Dec. 8, 2017.

Each of the above referenced Application is hereby incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

Certain embodiments of the disclosure relate to reflector devices in amillimeter wave communication system. More specifically, certainembodiments of the disclosure relate to a method and system for anoptimized multi-beam antenna array network with an extended radiofrequency (RF) range.

BACKGROUND

Recent advancements in the field of RF communication network havewitnessed various multipath propagation systems, such as multi-antennaarray system, to enhance the capacities of radio channels. Exemplary usecases of the multi-antenna array system are beam forming and beamsteering techniques, wherein an RF transmitter radiates or steers radiowaves in a specific direction by adjusting amplitude and phase of atransmission signal from each of the active antennas of themulti-antenna array system. Likewise, an RF receiver receives the radiowaves via each antenna element from a plane wave in only a selecteddirection combined coherently. Each antenna of the multi-antenna arraymay comprise transceiver and data converters that may be configured tohandle multiple data streams and thus, may generate multiple beamssimultaneously from one array. For the advanced high-performance fifthgeneration communication networks, such as the millimeter wavecommunication system, there is a demand for innovative techniques toincrease coverage.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosureas set forth in the remainder of the present application with referenceto the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Systems and/or methods are provided for an optimized multi-beam antennaarray network with an extended RF range, substantially as shown inand/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as setforth more completely in the claims.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentdisclosure, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof,will be more fully understood from the following description anddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exemplary network environment diagram, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary passive reflector device, in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary multi-beam activereflector device, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations for anexemplary system for an optimized multi-beam antenna array network withan extended RF range, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations for anexemplary electronic equipment for an optimized multi-beam antenna arraynetwork with an extended RF range, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

Certain embodiments of the disclosure may be found in a method andsystem for an optimized multi-beam antenna array network with anextended RF range. In the following description, reference is made tothe accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof, and in which isshown, by way of illustration, various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary network environment diagram, in accordance withan exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. With reference to FIG. 1,there is shown a network environment diagram 100 that may include aplurality of reflector devices 102. The plurality of reflector devices102 may include at least a first active reflector device 102A, a firstpassive reflector device 102B, a second passive reflector device 102C,and a second active reflector device 102D. There is further shown a basestation 104, a customer premises equipment (CPE) 106, and customerpremises 108. There is further shown a first radio signal path 110A, asecond radio signal path 110B, a third radio signal path 110C, a fourthradio signal path 110D, a fifth radio signal path 110E, and a sixthradio signal path 110F. There is further shown an external source of RFinterference, such as a TV station 112.

It may be understood that there is shown only two passive reflectordevices, two active reflector devices, and one external source of RFinterference. However, the count of the passive reflector devices, theactive reflector devices, and the external source of RF interference mayvary based on various factors, such as the location of the base station104, relative distance of the base station 104 from the CPE 106, andcount and type of physical obstructing devices, without deviation fromthe scope of the disclosure. In accordance with an embodiment, one ormore circuits of each of the plurality of reflector devices 102 may beintegrated in a package of the plurality of antenna modules of thecorresponding reflector device. In accordance with an embodiment, theone or more circuits of each of the plurality of reflector devices 102may be on a printed circuit board on which the plurality of antennamodules of the corresponding reflector device are mounted.

The plurality of reflector devices 102 may include various active andpassive reflector devices, such as at least the first active reflectordevice 102A, the first passive reflector device 102B, the second passivereflector device 102C, and the second active reflector device 102D. Inaccordance with an embodiment, one or more of the plurality of reflectordevices 102, such as the first active reflector device 102A and thesecond active reflector device 102D, may comprise at least an array ofdistributed transmitters (or an array of distributed transceivers) thatmay utilize various transmission schemes, such asmultiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. In an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure, the distributed transmitters (ortransceivers) in the plurality of reflector devices 102 may utilizetransmit beam forming for the MIMO transmission.

The first active reflector device 102A and the second active reflectordevice 102D may be multi-beam active reflector devices configured toperform a plurality of operations on a plurality of beams of RF signalsreceived from an RF transmitter device, for example the base station 104or an access point, and the second passive reflector device 102C.Examples of such operations may include, but are not limited to,adjusting an amplitude gain, adjusting phase shift, performing beamforming to generate a plurality of beams of RF signals, and performingbeam steering based on the phase shifting of the plurality of beams ofRF signals to deflect the plurality of beams at a desired angle. Thefirst active reflector device 102A and the second active reflectordevice 102D may require a substantial DC power for performing theabove-mentioned operations. The first active reflector device 102A andthe second active reflector device 102D may be positioned in a vicinityof physical obstructing objects, such as a tree and tinted glass window,respectively, that may partially block or impair the path of theplurality of beams of RF signals.

Each of the first active reflector device 102A and the second activereflector device 102D may comprise a first antenna array, i.e. atransmitter array, and a second antenna array, i.e. a receiver array, asdescribed in FIG. 3. The first antenna array may be configured totransmit a first set of beams of RF signals of the plurality of beams ofRF signals to at least the RF transmitter device, for example the basestation 104, and an RF receiver device, for example the CPE 106. Thefirst antenna array may be further configured to transmit the first setof beams of RF signals to others, such as the second passive reflectordevice 102C, of the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices.Likewise, the second antenna array may be configured to receive a secondset of beams of RF signals from the RF transmitter device and the RFreceiver device. The second antenna array may be further configured toreceive the second set of beams of RF signals from others, such as thesecond passive reflector device 102C, of the dynamically selected one ormore reflector devices. In addition to the first antenna array and thesecond antenna array, each of the first active reflector device 102A andthe second active reflector device 102D may be realized based on othercomponents, such as a plurality of low-noise amplifiers, a plurality ofphase shifters, a combiner, a splitter, a plurality of power amplifiers,and mixers. Detailed block diagram of an exemplary multi-beam activereflector device is described in FIG. 3.

The first passive reflector device 102B and the second passive reflectordevice 102C may be configured to provide only a deflection to theplurality of beams of RF signals without adjusting the amplitude gainand the phase shift of the plurality of beams of RF signals. The firstpassive reflector device 102B and the second passive reflector device102C provide the deflection based on various parameters, such as anincident angle, scan angle, and sizes of the first passive reflectordevice 102B and the second passive reflector device 102C. The firstpassive reflector device 102B and the second passive reflector device102C may be positioned in a vicinity of a physical obstructing object,such as a building, that may completely block the path of the pluralityof beams of RF signals. The first passive reflector device 102B and thesecond passive reflector device 102C may be realized by a simple metalplane with a flat or a curved surface. The first passive reflectordevice 102B and the second passive reflector device 102C may be arrangedat an incident angle, so that the angle of incoming plurality of beamsof RF signals corresponds to the angle of the outgoing plurality ofbeams of RF signals. Detailed block diagram of an exemplary passivereflector device is described in FIG. 2.

The base station 104 is a fixed point of communication that maycommunicate information, in the form of the plurality of beams of RFsignals, to and from a RF transmitting/receiving device, such as the CPE106, via the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices.Multiple base stations, corresponding to one or more service providers,may be geographically positioned to cover specific geographical areas.Typically, bandwidth requirements serve as a guideline for a location ofthe base station 104 based on relative distance between the CPE 106 andthe base station 104. The count of base stations depends, for example,on expected usage, which may be a function of population density, andgeographic irregularities, such as buildings and mountain ranges, whichmay interfere with the plurality of beams of RF signals.

The base station 104 may comprise one or more circuits, such as acontroller 104A, that may be configured to dynamically select one ormore reflector devices, such as the first active reflector device 102A,the first passive reflector device 102B, the second passive reflectordevice 102C, and the second active reflector device 102D, from theplurality of reflector devices 102 along a non-line-of-sight (NLOS)radio path based on a defined criteria. The base station 104, inconjunction with a global positioning system (GPS) may be furtherconfigured to determine the location of the plurality of reflectordevices. Other than the GPS, various other techniques, for example,global navigation satellite system (GNSS), site map, signal delay,database information, and the like may be deployed to determine thelocation of the plurality of reflector devices. The controller 104A maybe further configured to control the dynamically selected one or morereflector devices based on one or more conditions for an optimizedtransmission and reception of a plurality of beams of RF signals by theselected one or more reflector devices. In accordance with anembodiment, the controller 104A in the base station 104 may enable thebase station 104 to dynamically configure and manage operation of theentire distributed transceivers in each RF device in the RF devicenetwork. In such a case, the base station 104 may be referred to amaster RF device. Such master RF device may be utilized to configure,control, and manage the entire distributed transceivers in the RF devicenetwork to optimize overall network performance.

The controller 104A may be further configured to monitor and collect RFcommunication environment information, such as propagation environmentconditions, link quality, application device capabilities, antennapolarization, radiation pattern, antenna spacing, array geometry,transmitter/receiver locations, target throughput, and/or applicationQoS requirements. The controller 104A may utilize the collected RFcommunication environment information to configure system, network andcommunication environment conditions as desired. For example, thecontroller 104A may perform high level system configurations, such asthe number of transceivers that are activated, the number of applicationdevices in communication, and adding/dropping application devices to theRF communication network. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the controller 104Ais residing in the base station 104. However, in some embodiments, thecontroller 104A may reside in different RF devices, such as separatenetwork microprocessors and servers on the RF communication network. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the functionality of the controller 104Amay be distributed over several devices in the RF communication network.The controller 104A may be further configured to manage communicationsessions over the RF communication network. In this regard, thecontroller 104A may coordinate operation of baseband processors in theRF communication network such that various baseband processing may besplit or shared among the baseband processors, as described in FIG. 3.

The CPE 106 may correspond to a telecommunication hardware locatedinside the customer premises 108, such as an office facility or a homespace. Examples of the CPE 106 may include, but are not limited to, ahome router, a cable or satellite television set-top box, a VoIP basestation, or other customized hardware. In accordance with an embodiment,the CPE 106 may be a single receiving device that may receive theplurality of beams of RF signals, concurrently transmitted by the masterRF device, i.e. the base station 104, in a same RF band over the entiredistributed transceivers in the RF device network.

A plurality of radio signal paths, such as the first radio signal path110A, the second radio signal path 110B, the third radio signal path110C, the fourth radio signal path 110D, the fifth radio signal path110E, and the sixth radio signal path 110F, may correspond to variouspaths of propagation of a beam of RF signals that is obscured (partiallyor completely) by physical objects. Such obstructing physical objectsmake it difficult for the RF signal to pass through in a wirelesscommunication network in a line-of-sight (LOS). Common physical objectsbetween an RF transmitter device and an RF receiver device may include,for example, tall buildings, tinted glass, doors, walls, trees, physicallandscape, and high-voltage power conductors. The plurality of radiosignal paths may be facilitated by various wireless communicationstandards, such as, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11n (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.11ac (Wi-Fi), HSPA+ (3G), WiMAX (4G), and Long Term Evolution (4G),5G, power-line communication for 3-wire installations as part of ITUG.hn standard, and HomePlug AV2 specification. In accordance with anembodiment, the wireless communication network may facilitate extremelyhigh frequency (EHF), which is the band of radio frequencies in theelectromagnetic spectrum from 30 to 300 gigahertz. Such radiofrequencies have wavelengths from ten to one millimeter, referred to asmillimeter wave (mmWave).

In operation, the RF transmitter device, for example the base station104, as the master RF device, may be configured to transmit theplurality of beams of RF signals to the RF receiver device, for examplethe CPE 106. As the base station 104 and the CPE 106 are in not in theLOS radio path, the base station 104 may be required to determine anoptimized NLOS radio path out of the available NLOS radio paths for thetransmission of the plurality of beams of RF signals.

Specifically, for such RF transmission to the CPE 106, the base station104 may be configured to locate and dynamically select one or morereflector devices, such as the first active reflector device 102A, thefirst passive reflector device 102B, the second passive reflector device102C, and the second active reflector device 102D, from the plurality ofreflector devices 102 along the NLOS radio path based on a definedcriteria. The defined criteria for the dynamic selection of the one ormore reflector devices corresponds to a location of the one or morereflector devices, a relative distance of the one or more reflectordevices with respect to the RF transmitter device, a type of one or morephysical obstructing objects, and one or more parameters measured at theone or more reflector devices. The one or more parameters correspond toat least an antenna gain, a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), asignal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), a carrier-to-noise(CNR), and a carrier-to-interference-and-noise ratio (CINR).

Based on the defined criteria, the controller 104A of the base station104 dynamically selects, configures, and manages operations of theentire distributed transceivers (corresponding to the base station 104,the CPE 106, and one or more reflector devices in the RF devicenetwork). Accordingly, the controller 104A determines the NLOS path thatis the fastest and shortest RF path between the base station 104 and theCPE 106. In accordance with an exemplary instance, the NLOS path may bedetermined based on a shortest path algorithm.

In an exemplary scenario, the base station 104 may locate the firstactive reflector device 102A partially obstructed by a tree. As thefirst active reflector device 102A is capable of adjusting the amplitudegain and phase shift of the incoming plurality of beams of RF signals,and the relative distance between the base station 104 and the firstactive reflector device 102A is the least as compared to other reflectordevices, the base station 104 may select the first active reflectordevice 102A for the transmission of the plurality of beams of RFsignals. The base station 104 and the first active reflector device 102Aare associated via the first radio signal path 110A. Thus, the basestation 104 may consider the first radio signal path 110A in the NLOSradio path.

Next, the base station 104 may determine that the selected first activereflector device 102A is further associated with the first passivereflector device 102B and the second passive reflector device 102C viathe fifth radio signal path 110E and the second radio signal path 110B,respectively. The base station 104 may determine that the relativedistance between the first active reflector device 102A and the firstpassive reflector device 102B is less than the relative distance betweenthe first active reflector device 102A and the second passive reflectordevice 102C. However, as the first passive reflector device 102B is invicinity of the external source of RF interference, such as the TVstation 112, the base station 104 may select the second passivereflector device 102C and reject the first passive reflector device102B. As the first passive reflector device 102B is rejected, the basestation 104 may only consider the second radio signal path 110B in theNLOS radio path in addition to the first radio signal path 110A.

The base station 104 may further determine that the second passivereflector device 102C is further associated with the second activereflector device 102D via the third radio signal path 110C. The basestation 104 may determine that the relative distance between the secondactive reflector device 102D and the second passive reflector device102C is least than the others of the plurality of reflector devices 102.The base station 104 may select the second active reflector device 102Dand consider the third radio signal path 110C in the NLOS radio path inaddition to the first radio signal path 110A and the second radio signalpath 110B.

The base station 104 may further determine that the second activereflector device 102D is further associated with the CPE 106 via thefourth radio signal path 110D. The base station 104 may determine thatthe relative distance between the second active reflector device 102Dand the second passive reflector device 102C is least than the others ofthe plurality of reflector devices 102. Further, the second activereflector device 102D may adjust the amplitude gain and the phase shiftof the plurality of beams of RF signals received from the second passivereflector device 102C, due to which the plurality of beams of RF signalsmay be transmitted through the tinted glass window of the customerpremises 108. Thus, the base station 104 may select the second activereflector device 102D and consider the fourth radio signal path 110D inthe NLOS radio path in addition to the first radio signal path 110A, thesecond radio signal path 110B, and the third radio signal path 110C.

In this manner, the base station 104 selects the first active reflectordevice 102A, the second passive reflector device 102C, and the secondactive reflector device 102D for transmission of the plurality of beamsof RF signals from the base station 104 to the CPE 106 via the NLOSradio path, which comprises the first radio signal path 110A, the secondradio signal path 110B, the third radio signal path 110C, and the fourthradio signal path 110D.

It may be noted the selection of the one or more reflector devices andthe determination of the NLOS radio path, in the above exemplaryscenario may be based on the shortest distance, presence of interferencesources, and type of obstructing physical object. However, it should notthe construed to be limiting the scope of the disclosure.Notwithstanding, the selection of the one or more reflector devices, andthe determination of the NLOS radio path may be further based on otherparameters, such as antenna gain, QoS, SNR, SINR, CNR, CINR, and thelike, without deviation from the scope of the disclosure.

The base station 104 may be further configured to control thedynamically selected one or more reflector devices, i.e. the firstactive reflector device 102A, the second passive reflector device 102C,and the second active reflector device 102D, based on one or moreconditions. A first condition of the one or more conditions maycorrespond to a transmission of the plurality of beams of RF signalsthrough a plurality of physical obstructing objects (such as the wall ofthe customer premises 108). A second condition of the one or moreconditions may correspond to determination of an optimized NLOS radiopath, as described above, for the transmission of the plurality of beamsof RF signals to the RF receiver device. The optimized NLOS radio pathmay correspond to an optimum or optimal characteristics for example,shortest radio path, optimum signals level, maximum bitrate, increasedaccess speed, highest throughput, and the like, between the base station104 and the CPE 106. The optimized NLOS radio path may furthercorrespond to a guaranteed transmission of the plurality of beams of RFsignals to the CPE 106.

In accordance with an embodiment, the determined NLOS radio path (forexample, the combination of the first radio signal path 110A, the secondradio signal path 110B, the third radio signal path 110C, and the fourthradio signal path 110D) may be optimal at a specific time instant “t1”.However, due to one or more factors, such as a sudden presence of ahigh-voltage power conductor source, the determined NLOS radio path maybe blocked and may not be optimal at a subsequent time instant “t2”(here, “t2”>“t1”). In such a case, the base station 104 may beconfigured to dynamically detect the scenario, and may dynamicallyswitch to an alternative next optimal path in in real-time or nearreal-time.

In accordance with another embodiment, one or more reflector devices inone of the determined optimal NLOS radio path (for example, thecombination of the first radio signal path 110A, the second radio signalpath 110B, the third radio signal path 110C, and the fourth radio signalpath 110D) may develop an operational fault. In such a case, the basestation 104 may be configured to detect the defective reflector deviceand, if not able to troubleshoot (diagnose, analyze, and/or otherwisedetermine condition of) the defective reflector device, the base station104 may switch to an alternative reflector device and therebydynamically determines another optimal NLOS radio path in real-time ornear real-time.

Once the optimal NLOS radio path is determined, the array of distributedtransmitters (or an array of distributed transceivers), whichcorresponds to various RF devices over the optimal NLOS radio path,utilize various transmission schemes, such as MIMO transmission, for RFcommunication. Accordingly, the plurality of beams of RF signals aretransmitted from the base station 104 to the CPE 106, via the firstactive reflector device 102A, the second passive reflector device 102C,and the second active reflector device 102D, in the most optimal mannerexhibiting high network performance and maximum network coverage.

With reference to FIG. 1, a combination of the various dynamicallyselected one or more reflector devices, for example, the first activereflector device 102A, the first active reflector device 102A and thesecond active reflector device 102D, and passive reflector devices, forexample the first passive reflector device 102B and the second passivereflector device 102C, may form a multi-beam antenna array network. AnRF range of such multi-beam antenna array network is extended due to thedynamic selection of the one or more reflector devices based on adefined criteria and control of the dynamically selected one or morereflector devices based on one or more conditions, as explained above.

Based on the above description, a multi-beam antenna array network of aplurality of active and passive reflector devices, for example, thefirst active reflector device 102A, the second passive reflector device102C, and the second active reflector device 102D, may be implemented toextend RF signal range for an optimized NLOS radio path (for example,the combination of the first radio signal path 110A, the second radiosignal path 110B, the third radio signal path 110C, and the fourth radiosignal path 110D). In an exemplary scenario, an instance of themulti-beam antenna array network may provide an extended coverage of RFsignals at home. As the data paths associated with the modems areeliminated, the RF signal latency is eliminated.

It may be noted that the above description of the optimized NLOS radiopath in an RF device network with an extended range may facilitatevarious exemplary operations, such as smart beam forming and antennadiversity. It may be further noted that the above description is withrespect to an embodiment, in accordance to which the intelligence isincorporated in the base station 104 to select and control the one ormore reflector devices. However, the disclosure may not be so limiting,and without deviation from the scope of the disclosure, suchintelligence may be incorporated in other fixed devices, such as acentral server, or as an app in a portable device associated with auser. In such cases, the user may have the control to configure the RFdevice network manually to select a combination of active and passivereflector devices for various locations and control the combination ofactive and passive reflector devices. Thus, the aforesaid exemplaryoperations may be performed at one or more phases of networkconfiguration, such as installation, maintenance, operation, andtroubleshooting, and the like.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary passive reflector device with respect toa base station and a CPE, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe disclosure. With reference to FIG. 2, there is shown an exemplarypassive reflector device (such as the second passive reflector device102C), the base station 104, and the CPE 106.

With reference to FIG. 2, distance between the CPE 106 and the secondpassive reflector device 102C may be indicated by “D1”. The scan anglemay be indicated by “θ” and the incident angle of the second passivereflector device 102C may be indicated by “α”. Accordingly, the size,indicated by “A1”, of the second passive reflector device 102C may bedetermined based on equation (1) as follows:A1=D1*sin(θ)/sin(α)  (1)

In an exemplary instance, if the scanning angle “θ” is “30 degree”, thedistance “D1” between the CPE 106 and the second passive reflectordevice 102C is “10 meter”, and the incident angle “α” is “45 degree”,then the reflector size “A1” may be calculated, based on the equation(1), as “7.1 meter”. In another exemplary instance, if the scanningangle “θ” is “30 degree”, the distance “D1” between the CPE 106 and thesecond passive reflector device 102C is “1 meter”, and the incidentangle “α” is “45 degree”, then the reflector size “A1” may becalculated, based on the equation (1), as “71 centimeter”. In yetanother exemplary instance, if the scanning angle “θ” is “3 degree”, thedistance “D1” between the CPE 106 and the second passive reflectordevice 102C is “10 meter”, and the incident angle “α” is “45 degree”,then the reflector size “A1” may be calculated, based on the equation(1), as “74 centimeter”.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary multi-beam activereflector device, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure. With reference to FIG. 3, block diagram 300 shows the basestation 104, the controller 104A, the CPE 106, and a multi-beam activereflector device 302. The multi-beam active reflector device 302 may besimilar to the first active reflector device 102A and the second activereflector device 102D, as shown in FIG. 1. RF devices, such as the basestation 104 and the CPE 106, may further comprise different instances ofvarious components, such as a baseband processor 308, a memory 310, aplurality of distributed transceivers 312, and antenna arrays 314. Morespecifically, the base station 104 comprises a first instance, such as abaseband processor 308A, a memory 310A, a plurality of distributedtransceivers 312A, and antenna arrays 314A, of such components.Similarly, the CPE 106 comprises a second instance, such as a basebandprocessor 308B, a memory 310B, a plurality of distributed transceivers312B, and antenna arrays 314B, of such components.

With reference to FIG. 3, the multi-beam active reflector device 302 mayinclude a first antenna array 304 and a second antenna array 306. Thefirst antenna array 304 at a transmitter chip may be configured totransmit a first set of beams of RF signals (from the plurality of beamsof RF signals) to at least the base station 104 and the CPE 106. Thesecond antenna array 306 at a receiver chip may be configured to receivea second set of beams of RF signals (from the plurality of beams of RFsignals) from at least the base station 104 and the CPE 106.Notwithstanding, the disclosure may not be so limited and withoutdeviation from the scope of the disclosure, the first antenna array 304may be further configured to transmit the first set of beams of RFsignals to other reflector devices. Likewise, the second antenna array306 may be further configured to receive the second set of beams of RFsignals from other reflector devices. In accordance with an embodiment,the transmission of the first set of beams of RF signals to at least theRF transmitter device and the RF receiver device, via distributedtransmitters, such as a set of distributed transmitters 302Acommunicatively coupled with the first antenna array 304, may be inaccordance with MIMO transmission. Further, the reception of the secondset of beams of RF signals from at least the RF transmitter device andthe RF receiver device, via distributed receivers, such as a set ofdistributed receivers 302B communicatively coupled with the secondantenna array 306, may be in accordance with MIMO reception.

In accordance with an embodiment, the count of beams of RF signalstransmitted and received by the multi-beam active reflector device 302is based on the size of the first antenna array 304 and the secondantenna array 306, number of antenna modules at the transmitter and thereceiver chips, and the hardware configuration of the multi-beam activereflector device 302. The first antenna array 304 and the second antennaarray 306 of the multi-beam active reflector device 302 may beprogrammable and may be dynamically controlled by the base station 104,a central device server, one of the one or more reflector devices, or amobile device.

In accordance with an embodiment, signal strength of a beam of RFsignals transmitted by the first antenna array 304 is typically higherthan signal strength of a beam of RF signal received by the secondantenna array 306 at the multi-beam active reflector device 302. Assuch, the received beam of RF signals at the second antenna array 306may be susceptible to interference from the transmitted beam of RFsignals by the first antenna array 304. Therefore, to limit theinterference, isolation is provided between the transmitter and thereceiver chip in the multi-beam active reflector device 302.

The baseband processor 308 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be configured to perform basebanddigital signal processing required for transmission and receivingoperation of the plurality of distributed transceivers 312. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the baseband processor 308A may generatea plurality of MIMO coded data streams at baseband, to be transmitted toother RF devices. In accordance with another embodiment, the basebandprocessor 308B may receive the plurality of MIMO coded data streams atbaseband, transmitted by other RF devices. The baseband processor 308may be configured to perform various processes, such as waveformgeneration, equalization, and/or packet processing, associated with theoperation of the plurality of distributed transceivers 312. Further, thebaseband processor 308 may be configured to configure, manage andcontrol orientations of the plurality of distributed transceivers 312.

The memory 310 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces and/orcode that may be configured to store information, such as executableinstructions and data, which may be utilized by the baseband processor308 and/or other associated components. The memory 310 may compriserandom access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), low latencynonvolatile memory, such as flash memory and/or other such electronicdata storage.

The plurality of distributed transceivers 312 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, interfaces and/or code that may be configured toenable an RF transmitter device, such as the base station 104, toconcurrently communicate each of MIMO coded data streams in same RF bandto/from the RF receiver device, such as the CPE 106, through associatedantenna arrays 314. Each distributed transceiver may be equipped with anindependently configurable antenna or an antenna array configured totransmit and receive RF signals over the air, via the NLOS radio path.

In accordance with an embodiment, the plurality of distributedtransceivers 312 may be implemented in various ways, such as a singledistributed transceiver integrated in a single chip package, multiplesilicon dies on one single chip, and multiple distributed transceiverson a single silicon die. Based on device capabilities and userpreferences, the plurality of distributed transceivers 312 may beoriented in a fixed direction or different directions. In accordancewith another embodiment, the plurality of distributed transceivers 312may be configured to receive and/or transmit the plurality of beams ofRF signals from and/or to the CPE 106 using air interface protocolsspecified in Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS), GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE),wireless local area network (WLAN), 60 GHz/mmWave, and/or WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX).

The antenna arrays 314 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,interfaces and/or code that may be configured to transmit/receive theplurality of beams of RF signals over the air, via the NLOS radio path,under the control of the plurality of distributed transceivers 312 andthe baseband processor 308. Antennas of each of the antenna arrays 314may be arranged at different directions or orientations based on antennatypes, user preferences, and/or corresponding communication environmentinformation.

In operation, due to the ability to adjust amplitude gain and phaseshift, the multi-beam active reflector device 302 is selected that ispositioned in a vicinity of a physical obstructing object that partiallyblocks or impairs a beam of RF signals. For example, as illustrated inFIG. 1, due to a presence of a first partial object, such as a tree, thefirst active reflector device 102A (which is similar to the multi-beamactive reflector device 302) is selected by the base station 104. Thefirst active reflector device 102A is positioned at a location such thatit is visible from both ends of an obstructed radio path. For example,the first active reflector device 102A is partially visible from thebase station 104 and completely visible from the first passive reflectordevice 102B and the second passive reflector device 102C as well.

In accordance with an embodiment, the first antenna array 304 and thesecond antenna array 306 of the multi-beam active reflector device 302may include a primary sector which may form an area of the plurality ofbeams of RF signals of each antenna. The primary sector may transect anangle which includes an LOS path to each of the ends, i.e. the basestation 104, the first passive reflector device 102B and the secondpassive reflector device 102C, of the radio path. The RF signals of themulti-beam active reflector device 302 which are directed most closelyin the direction of the selected ends of the radio path are selected andconnected together as a beam. One or more splitters may split the RFsignals into the respective beams for amplification in the poweramplifiers for active reflections. In accordance with an embodiment, themulti-beam active reflector device 302 may also operate as passivereflectors in case the amplification of the beams of RF signals is notperformed. The use of the multi-beam active reflector device 302 as anactive or passive reflector may provide a simpler, compact, and moreversatile network system than using a plurality of antennas, which aremounted and positioned individually to point towards their respectiveends of the radio path.

Once the optimal NLOS radio path is determined, the plurality ofdistributed transceivers 312, which corresponds to various RF devicesover the optimal NLOS radio path, utilize various transmission schemes,such as MIMO transmission, for RF communication. Accordingly, theplurality of beams of RF signals are transmitted from the base station104 to the CPE 106, via the multi-beam active reflector device 302, inthe most optimal manner exhibiting high network performance and maximumnetwork coverage.

During the MIMO transmission, the baseband processor 308A may encode thedata streams in the baseband based on various coding algorithms, such asspace-time coding or space-time-frequency coding. The coded data streamsin the baseband may be initially converted into different correspondingintermediate frequency (IF) bands and then may be further up-convertedto the same RF band. The baseband processor 308A may be configured toenable transmit beamforming for the MIMO transmission. Accordingly, eachof the coded data stream in the same RF band, as the plurality of beamsof RF signals, may be concurrently transmitted, via the antenna arrays314A, at different directions or orientations over the plurality ofdistributed transceivers 312A of the base station 104 to the CPE 106,via the multi-beam active reflector device 302 over the determined NLOS.

In accordance with an embodiment, the baseband processor 308A, inconjunction with the controller 104A, may continuously monitor andcollect corresponding communication environment information, such aspropagation environment conditions, link quality, device capabilities,locations, target throughput, and/or application QoS requirementsreported from the CPE 106. The controller 104A may be configured tocontrol the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices based ona feedback channel (not shown) that may be utilized to exchange andnegotiate system configurations, such as number of transceivers withinRF devices, number of antennas per transceivers, antenna beamformers,channel responses, sequence of antenna array coefficients beingevaluated, and/or locations of at least the one or more reflectordevices. The antenna arrays 314B in the CPE 106 may receive theplurality of beams of RF signals. The plurality of distributedtransceivers 312B may communicate the received plurality of beams of RFsignals, after down-conversion, to the baseband processor 308B.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations for anexemplary system for an optimized multi-beam antenna array network withan extended RF range, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thedisclosure. The exemplary operations in FIG. 4 are explained inconjunction with FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. Referring to FIG. 4, there is showna flow chart 400 comprising exemplary operations 402 through 412.

It may be noted that the sequence of exemplary operations, as describedbelow at steps 406, 408, and 410, should not be construed to be limitingthe scope of the disclosure. The sequence of exemplary operations isbased on the sequence of the reflector devices (for example, a passivereflector device follows an active reflector device) in the one or morereflector devices that when traversed, provides an optimum NLOS path inthe multi-antenna array network. Notwithstanding, for other sequences ofexemplary operations, based on other sequences of the reflector devices(for example, an active reflector device follows a passive reflectordevice), the sequence of steps may vary (for example, 406 and 408 mayfollow step 410), without deviation from the scope of the disclosure.Furthermore, there may be another embodiment, according to which themulti-beam active reflector device 302 may simultaneously perform thesteps 406, 408, and 410, without deviation from the scope of thedisclosure.

At 402, the one or more reflector devices from the plurality ofreflector devices may be located and dynamically selected along an NLOSradio path based on a defined criteria. In accordance with anembodiment, the one or more circuits, such as the controller 104A, inthe base station 104 may be configured to locate and dynamically selectone or more reflector devices, such as the first active reflector device102A, the first passive reflector device 102B, the second passivereflector device 102C, and the second active reflector device 102D fromthe plurality of reflector devices 102 along an NLOS radio path based ona defined criteria. The base station 104, in conjunction with the GPS,may be configured to determine the location of the plurality ofreflector devices.

At 404, the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices may becontrolled based on one or more conditions for transmission andreception of the beams of RF signals. In accordance with an embodiment,the controller 104A in the base station 104 may be configured to controlthe dynamically selected one or more reflector devices, i.e. the firstactive reflector device 102A, the second passive reflector device 102C,and the second active reflector device 102D, based on one or moreconditions. The dynamically controlled one or more reflector devices mayoperate to provide an optimized transmission and reception of aplurality of beams of RF signals by the selected one or more reflectordevices. For example, a first condition of the one or more conditionsmay correspond to a transmission of the plurality of beams of RF signalsthrough a plurality of physical obstructing objects (such as the wall ofthe customer premises 108). A second condition of the one or moreconditions may correspond to determination of an optimized NLOS radiopath, as described above, for the transmission of the plurality of beamsof RF signals to the an RF receiver device, such as the CPE 106.

In accordance with an embodiment, the controller 104A in the basestation 104 may be configured to detect a deviation of values of one ormore parameters (for example, bitrate, throughput, access speed, and thelike) of the NLOS radio path from the optimum values due to one or moresources of obstruction, such as presence of a high-voltage powerconductor. Accordingly, the controller 104A may be configured todynamically select a new NLOS radio path based on a determination that acurrent path is not an optimal path. However, in instance where thecontroller 104A subsequently determines that the new NLOS radio path isalso not as optimum as the initial NLOS radio path, and meanwhile, thecontroller 104A performs troubleshooting and the source of obstructionhas cleared, the controller 104A may be configured to dynamically switchback to the initial NLOS radio path in real-time or near real-time. Theoptimized NLOS radio path may correspond to a shortest and fastest radiopath between the base station 104 and the CPE 106. The optimized NLOSradio path may further correspond to a guaranteed transmission of theplurality of beams of RF signals to the CPE 106 with an extended RFsignal range for the optimized NLOS radio path.

Once the optimal NLOS radio path is determined, the plurality ofdistributed transceivers 312A, which corresponds to various RF devicesover the optimal NLOS radio path, utilize various transmission schemes,such as the MIMO transmission, for RF communication. Accordingly, theplurality of beams of RF signals are transmitted from the base station104 to the CPE 106, via the multi-beam active reflector device 302 forexample, in the most optimal manner exhibiting high network performanceand maximum network coverage.

During the MIMO transmission, the baseband processor 308A may encode thedata streams in the baseband based on various coding algorithms, such asspace-time coding or space-time-frequency coding. The coded data streamsin the baseband may be initially converted into different correspondingIF bands and then may be further up-converted to the same RF band. Thebaseband processor 308A may be configured to enable transmit beamformingfor the MIMO transmission. Accordingly, each of the coded data stream inthe same RF band, as the plurality of beams of RF signals, may beconcurrently transmitted, via the antenna arrays 314A, at differentdirections or orientations over the plurality of distributedtransceivers 312A of the base station 104 to the CPE 106, via themulti-beam active reflector device 302 over the determined NLOS.

At 406, a first set of beams of RF signals may be transmitted to atleast an RF transmitter device and an RF receiver device. In accordancewith an embodiment, the first antenna array 304 may be configured totransmit a first set of beams of RF signals of the plurality of beams ofRF signals to at least the RF transmitter device, i.e. the base station104, and the RF receiver device, i.e. the CPE 106. In accordance with anembodiment, the first antenna array 304 may be configured to transmitthe first set of beams of RF signals to other reflector devices, such asthe second passive reflector device 102C, of the dynamically selectedone or more reflector devices. The transmission of the first set ofbeams of RF signals to at least the RF transmitter device and the RFreceiver device, via distributed transmitters, such as the set ofdistributed transmitters 302A communicatively coupled with the firstantenna array 304, may be in accordance with the MIMO transmission.

At 408, a second set of beams of RF signals may be received from atleast an RF transmitter device and an RF receiver device. In accordancewith an embodiment, the second antenna array 306 may be configured toreceive a second set of beams of RF signals from the RF transmitterdevice, i.e. the base station 104, and the RF receiver device, i.e. theCPE 106. The second antenna array 306 may be further configured toreceive the second set of beams of RF signals from other devices, suchas the second passive reflector device 102C, of the dynamically selectedone or more reflector devices. The reception of the second set of beamsof RF signals from at least the RF transmitter device and the RFreceiver device, via distributed receivers, such as the set ofdistributed receivers 302B communicatively coupled with the secondantenna array 306, may be in accordance with the MIMO reception.

At 410, an incoming beam of RF signals may be deflected at a specifiedangle. In accordance with an embodiment, the first passive reflectordevice 102B and the second passive reflector device 102C may beconfigured to provide only a deflection to the plurality of beams of RFsignals without adjusting the amplitude gain and the phase shift of theplurality of beams of RF signals. The first passive reflector device102B and the second passive reflector device 102C may provide thedeflection based on various parameters, such as an incident angle, scanangle, and sizes of the first passive reflector device 102B and thesecond passive reflector device 102C. The first passive reflector device102B and the second passive reflector device 102C may be positioned in avicinity of a physical obstructing object, such as a building, that maycompletely block the path of the plurality of beams of RF signals. Thefirst passive reflector device 102B and the second passive reflectordevice 102C may be arranged at an incident angle, so that the angle ofincoming plurality of beams of RF signals corresponds to the angle ofthe outgoing plurality of beams of RF signals.

At 412, the deflected or the transmitted beam of RF signals from anoptimized multi-beam antenna array network (with extended range alongthe NLOS) may be received. In accordance with an embodiment, the RFreceiver device, such as the CPE 106, may be configured to receive thebeam of RF signals deflected or transmitted by an optimized multi-beamantenna array network (with extended range along NLOS). In accordancewith an embodiment, the RF receiver device may be a reflector devicefrom the one or more reflector devices. In accordance with yet anotherembodiment, the RF receiver device may be the base station 104.

In accordance with an embodiment, the antenna arrays 314B in the CPE 106may receive the plurality of beams of RF signals. The plurality ofdistributed transceivers 312B may communicate the received plurality ofbeams of RF signals, after down-conversion, to the baseband processor308B.

FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart illustrating exemplary operations for anexemplary electronic equipment for an optimized multi-beam antenna arraynetwork with an extended RF range, in accordance with an exemplaryembodiment of the disclosure. The exemplary operations in FIG. 5 areexplained in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. Referring to FIG. 5,there is shown a flow chart 500 comprising exemplary operations 502through 504.

It may be noted that FIG. 5 is explained based on the assumption thatthe base station 104 comprises one or more circuits, such as thecontroller 104A, the baseband processor 308A, the memory 310A, theplurality of distributed transceivers 312A, and the antenna arrays 314A,configured to dynamically perform the following exemplary operations 502through 504. However, it should not to be construed to be limiting thescope of the disclosure, and the same intelligence may be incorporatedin external fixed devices (such as a central server), the one or morereflector devices, or mobile devices that are associated with a user. Incase of a mobile device, an app may be installed and executed tofacilitate the configuration of the RF device network manually forselection of a combination of active and passive reflector devices forvarious locations. The app may further facilitate the combination ofactive and passive reflector devices.

At 502, the one or more reflector devices from the plurality ofreflector devices may be located and dynamically selected along an NLOSradio path based on a defined criteria. In accordance with anembodiment, the one or more circuits, such as the controller 104A, inthe base station 104 may be configured to dynamically select one or morereflector devices, such as the first active reflector device 102A, thefirst passive reflector device 102B, the second passive reflector device102C, and the second active reflector device 102D, from the plurality ofreflector devices 102 along an NLOS radio path based on the definedcriteria. The defined criteria is described in detail in FIG. 1. Thebase station 104, in conjunction with the GPS, may be configured todetermine the location of each of the plurality of reflector devices102.

At 504, the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices may becontrolled based on one or more conditions for transmission andreception of the beams of RF signals. In accordance with an embodiment,the controller 104A in the base station 104 may be configured to controlthe dynamically selected one or more reflector devices, i.e. the firstactive reflector device 102A, the second passive reflector device 102C,and the second active reflector device 102D, based on one or moreconditions. The dynamically controlled one or more reflector devices mayoperate to provide an optimized transmission and reception of aplurality of beams of RF signals by the selected one or more reflectordevices. For example, a first condition of the one or more conditionsmay correspond to a transmission of the plurality of beams of RF signalsthrough a plurality of physical obstructing objects (such as the wall ofthe customer premises 108). A second condition of the one or moreconditions may correspond to determination of an optimized NLOS radiopath, as described above, for the transmission of the plurality of beamsof RF signals to the an RF receiver device, such as the CPE 106.

In accordance with an embodiment, the controller 104A may be configuredto control the dynamically selected one or more reflector devices basedon a feedback channel (not shown) that may be utilized to exchange andnegotiate system configurations, such as number of transceivers withinRF devices, number of antennas per transceivers, antenna beamformers,channel responses, sequence of antenna array coefficients beingevaluated, and/or locations of at least the one or more reflectordevices.

In accordance with an embodiment, the controller 104A in the basestation 104 may be configured to monitor various parameters, such asbitrate, throughput, access speed, and the like, of the NLOS radio path.Based on a variation of the observed parameters with respect to optimumparameters, the controller 104A may be configured to detect one or moresources of obstruction that cause such variation. In case the controller104A is not able to troubleshoot, a new NLOS radio path may be selected.In an exemplary instance, the controller 104A determines that the newNLOS radio path is not as optimum as the initial NLOS radio path.Meanwhile, the controller 104A performs troubleshooting and the sourceof obstruction is cleared. Accordingly, the controller 104A may beconfigured to dynamically switch back to the initial NLOS radio path inreal-time or near real-time.

Various embodiments of the disclosure may provide a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored thereon, computer implementedinstruction that when executed by an RF transmitter device in an RFdevice network, execute operations to dynamically select one or morereflector devices from the plurality of reflector devices along an NLOSradio path based on a defined criteria. The dynamically selected one ormore reflector devices may be controlled based on one or more conditionsfor transmission and reception of a plurality of beams of RF signals bythe dynamically selected one or more reflector devices in the RF devicenetwork. An active reflector device in the dynamically selected one ormore reflector devices may comprise at least a first antenna array and asecond antenna array. The first antenna array may transmit a first setof beams of RF signals from the plurality of beams of RF signals to atleast the RF transmitter device and the RF receiver device. The secondantenna array may receive a second set of beams of RF signals from theplurality of beams of RF signals from at least the RF transmitter deviceand the RF receiver device.

While various embodiments described in the present disclosure have beendescribed above, it should be understood that they have been presentedby way of example, and not limitation. It is to be understood thatvarious changes in form and detail can be made therein without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to using hardware(e.g., within or coupled to a central processing unit (“CPU”),microprocessor, micro controller, digital signal processor, processorcore, system on chip (“SOC”) or any other device), implementations mayalso be embodied in software (e.g. computer readable code, program code,and/or instructions disposed in any form, such as source, object ormachine language) disposed for example in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium configured to store the software. Such softwarecan enable, for example, the function, fabrication, modeling,simulation, description and/or testing of the apparatus and methodsdescribe herein. For example, this can be accomplished through the useof general program languages (e.g., C, C++), hardware descriptionlanguages (HDL) including Verilog HDL, VHDL, and so on, or otheravailable programs. Such software can be disposed in any knownnon-transitory computer-readable medium, such as semiconductor, magneticdisc, or optical disc (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.). The software canalso be disposed as computer data embodied in a non-transitorycomputer-readable transmission medium (e.g., solid state memory anyother non-transitory medium including digital, optical, analogue-basedmedium, such as removable storage media). Embodiments of the presentdisclosure may include methods of providing the apparatus describedherein by providing software describing the apparatus and subsequentlytransmitting the software as a computer data signal over a communicationnetwork including the internet and intranets.

It is to be further understood that the system described herein may beincluded in a semiconductor intellectual property core, such as amicroprocessor core (e.g., embodied in HDL) and transformed to hardwarein the production of integrated circuits. Additionally, the systemdescribed herein may be embodied as a combination of hardware andsoftware. Thus, the present disclosure should not be limited by any ofthe above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication device comprising, comprising: anactive reflector device, wherein the active reflector device comprises:a first antenna array configured to: transmit a first set of beams ofradio frequency (RF) signals of a plurality of beams of RF signals to atleast an RF transmitter device and an RF receiver device, wherein the RFtransmitter device: configures system configurations based on at leastone of environment information or link quality; selects one or morereflector devices from a plurality of reflector devices along anon-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio path based on the system configurations,wherein the plurality of reflector devices comprises the activereflector device and a passive reflector device, and wherein the RFreceiver device receives the first set of beams of RF signals from theselected one or more reflector devices; and transmit the first set ofbeams of RF signals of the plurality of beams of RF signals to thepassive reflector device, and a second antenna array configured to:receive a second set of beams of RF signals of the plurality of beams ofRF signals from at least the RF transmitter device and the RF receiverdevice; and receive the second set of beams of RF signals of theplurality of beams of RF signals from the passive reflector device. 2.The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the activereflector device is configured to adjust an amplitude gain and phaseshift of the first set of beams of RF signals of the plurality of beamsof RF signals.
 3. The communication device according to claim 1, whereina first signal strength of a first beam of the first set of beams of RFsignals transmitted by the first antenna array is higher than a secondsignal strength of a second beam of the second set of beams of RFsignals received by the second antenna array.
 4. The communicationdevice according to claim 1, wherein the active reflector device ispositioned at a distance from a second physical obstructing object thatpartially blocks or impair the first beam of RF signals.
 5. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the selection of theone or more reflector devices is based on at least one of a location ofthe one or more reflector devices, a relative distance of the one ormore reflector devices with respect to the RF transmitter device, a typeof one or more physical obstructing objects, or one or more parametersmeasured at the one or more reflector devices, and wherein the one ormore parameters correspond to at least an antenna gain, asignal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio(SINR), a carrier-to-noise (CNR), or a carrier-to-interference-and-noiseratio (CINR).
 6. The communication device according to claim 1, whereinthe selected one or more reflector devices are controlled based on oneor more conditions that correspond to transmission of the plurality ofbeams of RF signals through a plurality of physical obstructing objectsand determination of an NLOS radio path with best performance for thetransmission of the plurality of beams of RF signals to the RF receiverdevice.
 7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein thefirst antenna array and the second antenna array are isolated from eachother.
 8. The communication device according to claim 1, furthercomprising an electronic device configured to execute an applicationprogram for the selection of the one or more reflector devices from theplurality of reflector devices and control the selected one or morereflector devices, wherein the application program is executed for aninstallation, maintenance, control, and troubleshoot a system comprisinga multi-beam antenna array network.
 9. The communication deviceaccording to claim 8, wherein the multi-beam antenna array networkcomprises a combination of the active reflector device that includes thefirst antenna array and the second antenna array and the passivereflector device, and wherein an RF range of the multi-beam antennaarray network is extended based on the selection of the one or morereflector devices and control of the selected one or more reflectordevices.
 10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein theplurality of reflector devices are integrated in a package of aplurality of antenna modules of corresponding reflector device.
 11. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein each of the pluralityof reflector devices are on a printed circuit board on which a pluralityof antenna modules of corresponding reflector device is mounted.
 12. Thecommunication device according to claim 1, wherein the active reflectordevice comprises one or more distributed circuits configured to transmitthe first set of beams of the RF signals and receive the second set ofbeams of RF signals based on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)transmission and reception.
 13. The communication device according toclaim 1, wherein each of the RF transmitter device and the RF receiverdevice comprises a plurality of distributed transceivers, wherein theplurality of distributed transceivers is configured to transmit andreceive the plurality of beams of RF signals based on multiple-inputmultiple-output (MIMO) transmission and reception.
 14. A communicationdevice, comprising: in an electronic equipment in a radio frequency (RF)device network, wherein the electronic equipment further comprises: anactive reflector device, wherein the active reflector device comprises:a first antenna array configured to: transmit a first set of beams ofradio frequency (RF) signals of a plurality of beams of RF signals to atleast an RF transmitter device and an RF receiver device, wherein the RFtransmitter device:  configures system configurations based on at leastone of environment information or link quality;  selects one or morereflector devices from a plurality of reflector devices along anon-line-of-sight (NLOS) radio path based on the system configurations, wherein the plurality of reflector devices comprises the activereflector device and a passive reflector device, and  wherein the RFreceiver device receives the first set of beams of RF signals from theselected one or more reflector devices in the RF device network; and transmit the first set of beams of RF signals of the plurality of beamsof RF signals to the passive reflector device, and a second antennaarray configured to: receive a second set of beams of RF signals of theplurality of beams of RF signals from at least the RF transmitter deviceand the RF receiver device; and receive the second set of beams of RFsignals of the plurality of beams of RF signals from the passivereflector device.
 15. The communication device according to claim 14,wherein the electronic equipment corresponds to an RF transmitter deviceor a mobile electronic device.
 16. The communication device according toclaim 14, wherein the electronic equipment is further configured tocontrol the selected one or more reflector devices based on informationreceived via a feedback channel.
 17. The communication device accordingto claim 16, wherein the information is associated with exchange andnegotiate system configurations, wherein the information comprises atleast one of a number of transceivers within one or more RF devices,number of antennas per transceiver, antenna beamformers, channelresponses, sequence of antenna array coefficients evaluated, orlocations of at least the one or more reflector devices.
 18. Thecommunication device according to claim 14, wherein the electronicequipment comprises a plurality of distributed transceivers.
 19. Thecommunication device according to claim 18, wherein the plurality ofdistributed transceivers is configured to transmit the plurality ofbeams of RF signals in accordance with multiple-input multiple-output(MIMO) transmission.